Attorney horribilis. Photo by Joanna Servaes.
Do not complain about lawyers as greedy, selfish, lazy, and dishonest and, at the same time, walk away from an appeal to help root out the bad lawyers. We need you.
The 4th District Ethics Committee is seeking volunteers to investigate local complaints of attorney misconduct. The committee is specifically seeking non-attorney candidates at this time. Trainings will be held in March 2015 for new committee members to join April 1.
Training and support are provided. This is a great opportunity civic-minded Minnesotans to safeguard high ethical standards for Minnesota’s attorneys and ensure responsible treatment of clients, while building your resumé and serving your community.
District Ethics Committee volunteers are appointed to a three-year term and investigate one-two complaints a year. The time commitment is flexible and varies, but on average an investigation takes about 10 hours to complete. The 4th District Ethics Committee meets every other Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. in downtown Minneapolis (parking vouchers provided). Committee members are expected to attend the meeting in which they are scheduled to present their investigation report, and are welcome but not required to attend any other committee meetings.
This is not a huge amount of work. It is, however, very gratifying to work with lawyers along with other lay committee volunteers to investigate alleged attorney misconduct. Sometimes we catch rats.
Candidates should have an interest in justice, the law, or legal procedures. They must be comfortable interviewing people by phone and in person, able to adhere to strict confidentiality rules, and able to write clearly and concisely. Strong analytical skills are also important. Trainings will be held in March 2015 for new committee members to join April 1. If interested, submit your resume or C.V. to Julia Peacock, 4th District Ethics Committee Coordinator, julia@hcba.org.